This region, which is located in the northwestern corner of Turkey, covers 9.32% of the county’s land with its 72,845 km² surface area. The region, neighboring the Black Sea, the Marmara Sea and the Aegean Sea, links the European and Asian continents with the Bosporus and Dardanelles. The Bozcaada and Gökçeada (İmroz) islands in the Aegean are also parts of this region.

The population of the region, which is constantly taking in migrants, according to the 2008 ABPRS results, has increas-ed to 21,044,783. Of this population, 18,969,841 are resid-ing in urban areas and 2,074,942 in rural areas.

The Marmara Region is the industrial center of Turkey, com-prising the İstanbul-Bursa-İzmit axis. Processed food, tex-tiles, ready-to-wear clothing, cement, paper, petro-chemical products, automobiles and spare parts, metal and electrical goods, railway cars and ships are among the leading indus-trial goods produced in the region.

The region has a distinct privilege from the fact that the shortest land and maritime routes connecting Europe to Asia and the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea pass through here, and this has led to development and enrichment of the area. As a region which has hosted many civilizations through the centuries, and which boasts antiquities and scenic wonders, it has become one of the most important culture, arts and tourism centers of the world.